Maggie Antone - Rhinestoned (2024) [Hi-Res]

Maggie Antone's voice has always won people over. Singing along to the radio from her carseat, it first won her parents over - enough so that they supported her through voice lessons, musical theater, and national anthem gigs around her hometown of Richmond. Later, with her recording of Tyler Childers's "Lady May," Antone's voice would win the Internet over, too, gaining so much praise that she would go on to release an entire collection of covers, Interpretations, the following year.

But lately, the fans at Antone’s packed-out gigs are singing every word to her songs: After all, even if her voice is what draws you in, it's the vulnerability of her songwriting that will keep you coming back.

Co-produced by Maggie Antone and Carrie K (Noah Kahan, PVRIS, Suki Waterhouse, Foster the People, Sheryl Crow), Rhinestoned offers ten songs worth of compelling evidence that this Virginia native just might be country’s next big thing. The clever lyrics and catchy melodies make fitting vessels for Antone's larger-than-life charisma and natural stage presence - qualities she'll show off on the road this summer during gigs with Kat Hasty, the Red Clay Strays and 49 Winchester as well as on stages at Bonnaroo, Bourbon and Beyond and Foxfire.

Written with Natalie Hemby and Aaron Raitiere (Lady Gaga, Ashley McBryde), the raucous, witty, and irresistible, album opener "Johnny Moonshine" shows off Antone’s flare for storytelling one croon-worthy double entendre at a time, while on the timeless "Mess with Texas," she leans into her honky-tonk sensibilities, playfully recounting the exes she collected across various locales before landing on the real thing in the Lone Star State. Standout track "High Standards" contrasts evocative harmonies with biting wordplay, delivering a blunt tell-off to a presumptuous stoner on a late night gone hazy.But for all the hard-partying lyrics and self-deprecating jokes, Antone's biggest strength on Rhinestoned may be her willingness to show weakness. "I don't write love songs," she sings on "Everyone But You," "'cause I don't wanna sing 'em when the love is gone." The slow tempo of "I Don't Wanna Hear About It," a heartbreaker that mourns a breakup even while wishing the person well, lays bare Antone’s emotional vocals. And Antone is perhaps her most raw on the closing track, "Meant to Meet," a song about the vices and shortcomings that can wreck a relationship—even one that feels fated."With situationships and such nowadays, it feels like no one is looking for the real thing anymore," she says. "This album, and that song specifically, is for the people who didn't get the ‘I'm sorry’ text. I want it to be closure for people who need it." "Sometimes you don't have that full love story where you meet someone, you fall in love, you date for a long time, you break up, and then you're upset; sometimes we just have these short-lived little things," she says. "This album is about a million of those teeny tiny little things, all wrapped up into one story. No matter how big or small it is, when you’ve gone through something and you hurt, it matters."